Method for intelligent buffering for over the top (OTT) video delivery

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, selecting a set of traffic counters, wherein the traffic counters provide a profile of viewing habits of a user, and wherein the traffic counters are extracted from video streaming by the user; predicting a size of a video buffer based on the traffic counters selected; and building the video buffer based on the predicted size. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/912,656 filed on Mar. 6, 2018. The contents of the foregoing ishereby incorporated by reference into this application as if set forthherein in full.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to a method for intelligent buffering forover the top video delivery.

BACKGROUND

A large portion of digital network radio bandwidth is consumed byInternet video traffic. A mobility network operator may spend billionsof dollars on purchasing radio resources. Efficient use of the purchasedradio resources, especially video data, is warranted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system for bufferingvideo data;

FIG. 2A depicts an illustrative embodiment of a data formation scheme tobuild a traffic feature vector;

FIG. 2B depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system that predictsvideo buffer length;

FIG. 2C is a graph illustrating the cumulative distribution function ofvideo bitrate for a particular video source;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method used in portionsof the system described in FIGS. 1, 2A & 2B;

FIGS. 4-5 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services including a system for buffering video dataillustrated in FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal forinteracting with the communication systems of FIGS. 1 and 4-5;

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device; and

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for estimating a video buffer size for users. Otherembodiments are described in the subject disclosure.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a device,comprising: a processing system including a processor; and a memory thatstores executable instructions that, when executed by the processingsystem, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:selecting a set of traffic counters, wherein the traffic countersprovide a profile of viewing habits of a user, and wherein the trafficcounters are extracted from a video streamed by the user; predicting asize of a video buffer based on the traffic counters selected; andbuilding the video buffer based on the predicted size.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a machine-readablemedium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by aprocessing system including a processor, facilitate performance ofoperations, the operations comprising: examining video streaming by auser to create a set of traffic counters, wherein the traffic countersprovide a profile of viewing habits of a user; creating a predictionmodel based on the traffic counters; and predicting a size of a videobuffer based on the prediction model.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a method,comprising: gathering, by a processing system including a processor, aplurality of traffic counters derived from video streaming by a user;mapping, by the processing system, the plurality of traffic counters tocreate a current traffic feature vector; and applying, by the processingsystem, a prediction model to the current traffic feature vector todetermine a predicted video buffer size.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system 100 for bufferingvideo data. As shown, FIG. 1 illustrates a service provider networkinfrastructure 120 comprising a wireless access base station 117operating according to common wireless access protocols and a providernetwork 114. The provider network 114 delivers video data from a videoserver 150 coupled to the Internet 140 to communication devices 116.Additionally, the service provider network infrastructure 120incorporates a media proxy 130 that incorporates a smart buffer withmachine learning. In an embodiment, the communication devices 116 are incommunication with the provider network 114 through a wireless accessbase station 117.

In an embodiment, a user of a communication device 116 may downloadvideo data from the video server 150 over the Internet 140, throughprovider network 114 and wireless access base station 117, to build 60seconds worth of video data in a buffer on the communication device 116.But after watching the video for 5 seconds, the user decides to switchto another video. In this case, 55 seconds of video data are wasted,since the data is not decoded, played, and consumed by user. However,the data was transmitted by the wireless access base station 117 to thecommunication device 116. The transmission is a big waste of networkresources, including spectrum at wireless access base station 117, corenetwork bandwidth of the provider network 114, Internet 140 bandwidth,and resources of the video server, etc. Considering the popularity ofOTT video applications and the huge amount of video traffic in theInternet, a smart buffering approach that can reduce waste of suchnetwork resources is highly desirable.

To ensure quality of experience (QoE) when viewing videos, pastsolutions might access network conditions, and an advanced bufferingalgorithm might efficiently predict the buffering time required toensure playback continuity. Alternatively, a layered streaming algorithmmay compensate for variations in the measured available bandwidth fromall congestion-controlled senders. However, these solutions assume thatthe video application schemes are not aware of any information from userbehaviors, so that they treat all video consumers equally andaccordingly do not collaborate to save radio resources, thereby limitingtheir efficiency.

Hence, a media proxy 130 having a smart buffer with machine learning maybe implemented in an embodiment, by learning users' video viewingbehavior. For example, by configuring a smaller video buffer size forusers that are less patient, who tend to conduct more video switching,network resources may be conserved. A larger video buffer size can beconfigured for users that exhibit more patience and tend to watch videoslonger. As the video buffer size is configured smartly, networkresources can be conserved through reduced transmissions saved byoverall downloading/buffering less video data, without sacrificing videoQoE.

Different users may present very different video viewing behaviors. Thesame user may present different video viewing behaviors based on videocontent. For example, one important viewing behavior is viewingstability, i.e., how long a user may continue to watch a video. Somefewer patient users may switch videos quickly, by watching eachindividual video with a short time, while other more patient users maywatch the same video for a longer time before switching video. Thesetypes of video viewing behaviors significantly affect video systemdesign, including buffering, caching, pre-fetching, rate selection, andmore. Thus, it is very desirable to learn video viewing behaviors ofusers with advanced machine learning algorithms and to apply thelearnings onto system design.

The key component of such a smart buffering scheme is to understand auser's viewing behavior. Ideally, if the amount of time that eachindividual user spends watching a particular video could be predictedprecisely, the video buffer can be optimally designed and managed, andwaste could be minimized, without sacrificing video QoE. For example, ifa user “U” is predicted to watch a video “V” for only “T” seconds, where“T” is less than the length of video data that can be stored in videobuffer “B,” then any data downloaded beyond “T” seconds of video wouldwaste resources, for example, by fully building the buffer “B.”

FIG. 2A depicts an illustrative embodiment of a data formation scheme200 to build a traffic feature vector. As shown in FIG. 2A, a select setof the traffic counters 202, e.g., a video content type, a totalwatching time, a total content time, a duration of pause time, an amountof forwarding time, an amount of rewind time, forwarding duration andrewinding duration, can be collected from a video streaming flow by themedia proxy 130 at a given time t for a particular user u.

In an embodiment, the media proxy 130 retrieves Conviva data from theuser u's communication device 116. Conviva data is collected at a videoapplication (app) running in the communication device 116 that uses aConviva service. The Conviva service records all the details of videoviewing behaviors for all users of the app and all videos that aregenerated by the app.

In another embodiment, the media proxy 130 retrieves data from the mainservice provider (MSP) of the videos watched. MSP data collected at theMSP records universal resource locator (URL) information for individualhypertext transport protocol (HTTP) requests initiated by the viewingcommunication device 116. Many major OTT video viewers retrieve videodata over the Internet based on HTTP. Thus, video viewing behavior canbe obtained from MSP data for major video applications.

In another embodiment, the media proxy 130 retrieves data through deeppacket inspection (DPI). For example, DPI can be collected from videoflows in a production Long Term Evolution (LTE) network through probeson the user interface between the wireless access base station 117 and aserving gateway, i.e., the S1U interface, but can be extended to future5G networks. Such data comprises similar information to MSP data, buthas more scaled coverage and availability.

The media proxy 130 can apply advanced signature processing, e.g., viaFast Fourier Transform (FFT) for mapping the traffic counters 202derived through the aforementioned processes to a vector V_(u) ^(t)=(a₁,a₂, a₃ . . . a_(N)), known as a traffic feature vector 205.

FIG. 2B depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system 210 that predictsvideo buffer length. Network traffic flowing through a media proxy 230are used as input to the machine learning algorithm. As shown in FIG.2B, a set of training data flows 212 are used by a media proxy 230 tocreate a plurality of traffic feature vectors 215. The media proxy 230uses the plurality of traffic feature vectors to create predictionmodels 232 through a machine learning (ML) algorithm. The plurality oftraffic feature vectors 215 are used to train and build predictionmodels 232 that will determine the user's behavior, e.g., estimatingwhether the video session will be terminated by the user, whether theuser may invoke pausing, fast-forwarding or rewinding the video, andultimately, how long the user will continuously watch the video.

In an embodiment, the prediction model 232 is used to determine whethera video session with the user is in a stable viewing state or not. Ifthe video session is in a stable viewing state, presumably most or allthe streamed and buffered data of the video session will be consumed,regardless of available bandwidth. If the video session is not in astable viewing state, or transitions to an unstable viewing state, theprediction model will limit the buffer size of the video session. Thebandwidth limit should be higher, but not much higher, than video rate.Thus, the video session can support required video QoE (as it is higherthan the video playing rate), but the video session will not fill asmaller buffer (as the bandwidth is not much higher than video playingrate). Avoiding a very large buffer reduces the streamed-but-abandoneddata bytes. Once the behavior is predicted, the system can determine thenecessary buffer length.

Several artificial intelligence (AI) models can be applied to classifythe stable/unstable viewing states based on traffic pattern detectedfrom the traffic feature vectors 215. For example, a video playersimulator may simulate the user's viewing behavior. A stable viewingstate can be represented by viewing the video without trick play orvideo switching. An unstable viewing state can be represented byfrequent trick play or video switching. Next, a network trafficsimulator may simulate network conditions for a given viewing behavior.A viewing behavior learning agent in the prediction model 232 learnspredicts whether the viewing state is stable or unstable from a trafficfeature vector 215 derived from the simulated network conditions. Acomparer then determines if the predicted viewing state matches thesimulated viewing state, and a reward function provides a signal back tothe prediction model 232. If the states match, the reward functionsignal is increased. The process may be repeated with multiplesimulations, until the prediction model 232 is properly trained.

Next, the prediction model 232 is applied by the media proxy 230 to atraffic feature vector 225 created from network traffic flow data 222that flows through media proxy 230. The ML algorithm exploits userbehaviors and predicts a buffer demand in the future. The application ofthe prediction model 232 yields a predicted buffer length 237 and mayimpose a limit on available bandwidth if an unstable viewing state ispredicted.

FIG. 2C is a graph illustrating the cumulative distribution function ofvideo bandwidth for a video source. In an exemplary embodiment,illustrated in FIG. 2C, a ML algorithm is applied to a known data sourceto predict viewing behaviors of individual users, to reducebuffered-but-not-viewed bytes via smart video buffering schemes.Significant capital savings are expected by implementing such a system.FIG. 2C shows the Cumulative Distribution Function of Netflix videobandwidth. It is well-known that the maximum video bitrate of Netflix isabout 700 kbps. 40% of the video traffic that exhibits a higher videobitrate arises from video fast forward/rewind and start buffer filling.Assuming the buffered-but-not-played video bytes percentage is about ½of the video traffic buffered, the “effective traffic reduction” can beestimated to be about 20% for Netflix traffic.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method used in portionsof the system described in FIGS. 1, 2A & 2B. As shown in FIG. 3, themethod begins at step 302, where user profiling is conducted. A MLalgorithm in the media proxy examines traffic flow data for one or moreusers and develops traffic feature vector(s) for the user(s) from thetraffic flow data. Then, the ML algorithm develops a prediction model(s)based on the traffic feature vector(s). Next, in step 304, the MLalgorithm applies the prediction model to a new traffic feature vectorderived from a traffic flow established by a user to determine apredicted buffer size. Then, in step 306, the system determines whetherthe predicted video buffer size is less than a predetermined videobuffer size (i.e., a default buffer size) currently implemented in thecommunication device. If so, then in step 308, the video buffer isupdated to reflect the smaller, predicted buffer size. If not, then step308 is skipped, and the method continues with step 310, where videotraffic is downloaded by the communication device to fill the videobuffer to support watching the video.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 3, it isto be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is notlimited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 400for providing various communication services, such as delivering mediacontent. The communication system 400 can represent an interactive medianetwork, such as an interactive television system (e.g., an InternetProtocol Television (IPTV) media system). Communication system 400 canbe overlaid or operably coupled with system 100 of FIG. 1 as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 400. For instance, oneor more devices illustrated in the communication system 400 of FIG. 4could perform operations of the media proxy comprising selecting a setof traffic counters, wherein the traffic counters provide a profile ofviewing habits of a user, and wherein the traffic counters are extractedfrom a video streamed by the user; predicting a size of a video bufferbased on the traffic counters selected; and building the video bufferbased on the predicted size.

In one or more embodiments, the communication system 400 can include asuper head-end office (SHO) 410 with at least one super headend officeserver (SHS) 411 which receives media content from satellite and/orterrestrial communication systems. In the present context, media contentcan represent, for example, audio content, moving image content such as2D or 3D videos, video games, virtual reality content, still imagecontent, and combinations thereof. The SHS server 411 can forwardpackets associated with the media content to one or more video head-endservers (VHS) 414 via a network of video head-end offices (VHO) 412according to a multicast communication protocol. The VHS 414 candistribute multimedia broadcast content via an access network 418 tocommercial and/or residential buildings 402 housing a gateway 404 (suchas a residential or commercial gateway).

The access network 418 can represent a group of digital subscriber lineaccess multiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a servicearea interface that provide broadband services over fiber optical linksor copper twisted pairs 419 to buildings 402. The gateway 404 can usecommunication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 406 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 408 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 407 (such as aninfrared or RF remote controller).

The gateway 404, the media processors 406, and media devices 408 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, or other presentor next generation local or personal area wireless network technologies.By way of these interfaces, unicast communications can also be invokedbetween the media processors 406 and subsystems of the IPTV media systemfor services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

A satellite broadcast television system 429 can be used in the mediasystem of FIG. 4. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 400. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 415 that include mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 431 coupled to thebuilding 402. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver431 can be transferred to the media processors 406 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 408. The media processors 406 can be equipped with a broadbandport to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network 432 to enableinteractive services such as VoD and EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 433 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system400. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 433 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services. System 400 enablesvarious types of interactive television and/or services including IPTV,cable and/or satellite.

The subject disclosure can apply to other present or next generationover-the-air and/or landline media content services system.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 430, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over the ISP network 432 towireline media devices 408 or wireless communication devices 416.

Communication system 400 can also provide for all or a portion of thecomputing devices 430 to function as a media proxy (herein referred toas media proxy 430). The media proxy 430 can use computing andcommunication technology to perform function 462, which can includeamong other things, the buffer estimation techniques described by method300 of FIG. 3. For instance, function 462 of server 430 can be like thefunctions described for media proxy 130 of FIG. 1 in accordance withmethod 300. The media processors 406 and wireless communication devices416 can be provisioned with software functions 464 and 466,respectively, to utilize the services of media proxy 430. For instance,functions 464 and 466 of media processors 406 and wireless communicationdevices 416 can be like the functions described for the communicationdevices 116 of FIG. 1 in accordance with method 300.

Multiple forms of media services can be offered to media devices overlandline technologies such as those described above. Additionally, mediaservices can be offered to media devices by way of a wireless accessbase station 417 operating according to common wireless access protocolssuch as Global System for Mobile or GSM, Code Division Multiple Accessor CDMA, Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, Universal MobileTelecommunications or UMTS, World interoperability for Microwave orWiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, Long Term Evolution or LTE, and soon. Other present and next generation wide area wireless access networktechnologies can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 500employing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architecture tofacilitate the combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switchedsystems. Communication system 500 can be overlaid or operably coupledwith system 100 of FIG. 1 and communication system 400 of FIG. 4 asanother representative embodiment of communication system 400. Forinstance, one or more devices illustrated in the communication system500 of FIG. 5 could perform operations of the media proxy comprisingselecting a set of traffic counters, wherein the traffic countersprovide a profile of viewing habits of a user, and wherein the trafficcounters are extracted from a video streamed by the user; predicting asize of a video buffer based on the traffic counters selected; andbuilding the video buffer based on the predicted size.

Communication system 500 can comprise a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)540, a tElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) server 530, and other networkelements of an IMS network 550. The IMS network 550 can establishcommunications between IMS-compliant communication devices (CDs) 501,502, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) CDs 503, 505, andcombinations thereof by way of a Media Gateway Control Function (MGCF)520 coupled to a PSTN network 560. The MGCF 520 need not be used when acommunication session involves IMS CD to IMS CD communications. Acommunication session involving at least one PSTN CD may utilize theMGCF 520.

IMS CDs 501, 502 can register with the IMS network 550 by contacting aProxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) which communicates with aninterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF), which in turn, communicates with a ServingCSCF (S-CSCF) to register the CDs with the HSS 540. To initiate acommunication session between CDs, an originating IMS CD 501 can submita Session Initiation Protocol (SIP INVITE) message to an originatingP-CSCF 504 which communicates with a corresponding originating S-CSCF506. The originating S-CSCF 506 can submit the SIP INVITE message to oneor more application servers (ASs) 517 that can provide a variety ofservices to IMS subscribers.

For example, the application servers 517 can be used to performoriginating call feature treatment functions on the calling party numberreceived by the originating S-CSCF 506 in the SIP INVITE message.Originating treatment functions can include determining whether thecalling party number has international calling services, call IDblocking, calling name blocking, 7-digit dialing, and/or is requestingspecial telephony features (e.g., *72 forward calls, *73 cancel callforwarding, *67 for caller ID blocking, and so on). Based on initialfilter criteria (iFCs) in a subscriber profile associated with a CD, oneor more application servers may be invoked to provide various calloriginating feature services.

Additionally, the originating S-CSCF 506 can submit queries to the ENUMsystem 530 to translate an E.164 telephone number in the SIP INVITEmessage to a SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) if the terminatingcommunication device is IMS-compliant. The SIP URI can be used by anInterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 507 to submit a query to the HSS 540 toidentify a terminating S-CSCF 514 associated with a terminating IMS CDsuch as reference 502. Once identified, the I-CSCF 507 can submit theSIP INVITE message to the terminating S-CSCF 514. The terminating S-CSCF514 can then identify a terminating P-CSCF 516 associated with theterminating CD 502. The P-CSCF 516 may then signal the CD 502 toestablish Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication services,thereby enabling the calling and called parties to engage in voiceand/or data communications. Based on the iFCs in the subscriber profile,one or more application servers may be invoked to provide various callterminating feature services, such as call forwarding, do not disturb,music tones, simultaneous ringing, sequential ringing, etc.

In some instances, the aforementioned communication process issymmetrical. Accordingly, the terms “originating” and “terminating” inFIG. 5 may be interchangeable. It is further noted that communicationsystem 500 can be adapted to support video conferencing. In addition,communication system 500 can be adapted to provide the IMS CDs 501, 502with the multimedia and Internet services of communication system 400 ofFIG. 4.

If the terminating communication device is instead a PSTN CD such as CD503 or CD 505 (in instances where the cellular phone only supportscircuit-switched voice communications), the ENUM system 530 can respondwith an unsuccessful address resolution which can cause the originatingS-CSCF 506 to forward the call to the MGCF 520 via a Breakout GatewayControl Function (BGCF) 519. The MGCF 520 can then initiate the call tothe terminating PSTN CD over the PSTN network 560 to enable the callingand called parties to engage in voice and/or data communications.

It is further appreciated that the CDs of FIG. 5 can operate as wirelineor wireless devices. For example, the CDs of FIG. 5 can becommunicatively coupled to a cellular base station 521, a femtocell, aWi-Fi router, a Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) baseunit, or another suitable wireless access unit to establishcommunications with the IMS network 550 of FIG. 5. The cellular accessbase station 521 can operate according to common wireless accessprotocols such as GSM, CDMA, TDMA, UMTS, WiMax, SDR, LTE, and so on.Other present and next generation wireless network technologies can beused by one or more embodiments of the subject disclosure. Accordingly,multiple wireline and wireless communication technologies can be used bythe CDs of FIG. 5.

Cellular phones supporting LTE can support packet-switched voice andpacket-switched data communications and thus may operate asIMS-compliant mobile devices. In this embodiment, the cellular basestation 521 may communicate directly with the IMS network 550 as shownby the arrow connecting the cellular base station 521 and the P-CSCF516.

Alternative forms of a CSCF can operate in a device, system, component,or other form of centralized or distributed hardware and/or software.Indeed, a respective CSCF may be embodied as a respective CSCF systemhaving one or more computers or servers, either centralized ordistributed, where each computer or server may be configured to performor provide, in whole or in part, any method, step, or functionalitydescribed herein in accordance with a respective CSCF. Likewise, otherfunctions, servers and computers described herein, including but notlimited to, the HSS, the ENUM server, the BGCF, and the MGCF, can beembodied in a respective system having one or more computers or servers,either centralized or distributed, where each computer or server may beconfigured to perform or provide, in whole or in part, any method, step,or functionality described herein in accordance with a respectivefunction, server, or computer.

The media proxy 430 of FIG. 4 can be operably coupled to communicationsystem 500 for purposes like those described above. Media proxy 430 canperform function 462 and thereby provide buffer estimation services tothe CDs 501, 502, 503 and 505 of FIG. 5 like the functions described formedia proxy 130 of FIG. 1 in accordance with method 300 of FIG. 3. CDs501, 502, 503 and 505, which can be adapted with software to performfunction 572 to utilize the services of the media proxy 430 like thefunctions described for communication devices 116 of FIG. 1 inaccordance with method 300 of FIG. 3. Media proxy 430 can be an integralpart of the application server(s) 517 performing function 574, which canbe substantially like function 462 and adapted to the operations of theIMS network 550.

For illustration purposes only, the terms S-CSCF, P-CSCF, I-CSCF, and soon, can be server devices, but may be referred to in the subjectdisclosure without the word “server.” It is also understood that anyform of a CSCF server can operate in a device, system, component, orother form of centralized or distributed hardware and software. It isfurther noted that these terms and other terms such as DIAMETER commandsare terms can include features, methodologies, and/or fields that may bedescribed in whole or in part by standards bodies such as 3^(rd)Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It is further noted that some orall embodiments of the subject disclosure may in whole or in partmodify, supplement, or otherwise supersede final or proposed standardspublished and promulgated by 3GPP.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal 602 of acommunication system 600. Communication system 600 can be overlaid oroperably coupled with system 100 of FIG. 1, communication system 400,and/or communication system 500 as another representative embodiment ofsystem 100 of FIG. 1, communication system 400, and/or communicationsystem 500. The web portal 602 can be used for managing services ofsystem 100 of FIG. 1 and communication systems 400-500. A web page ofthe web portal 602 can be accessed by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL)with an Internet browser using an Internet-capable communication devicesuch as those described in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 4-5. The web portal 602 canbe configured, for example, to access a media processor 406 and servicesmanaged thereby such as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), a Video onDemand (VoD) catalog, an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), or apersonal catalog (such as personal videos, pictures, audio recordings,etc.) stored at the media processor 406. The web portal 602 can also beused for provisioning IMS services described earlier, provisioningInternet services, provisioning cellular phone services, and so on.

The web portal 602 can further be utilized to manage and provisionsoftware applications 462-466, and 572-574 to adapt these applicationsas may be desired by subscribers and/or service providers of system 100of FIG. 1, and communication systems 400-500. For instance, users of theservices provided by media proxy 130 or media proxy 430 can log intotheir on-line accounts and provision the media proxy 130 or media proxy430 with user profiles or learned behaviors to enable them to betterpredict video buffer size, as described in FIGS. 1-5, and so on. Serviceproviders can log onto an administrator account to provision, monitorand/or maintain the system 100 of FIG. 1 or media proxy 430.

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 700.Communication device 700 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the communication devices 116 depicted inFIG. 1, and FIGS. 4-5 and can be configured to perform portions ofmethod 300 of FIG. 3.

Communication device 700 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 702 (herein transceiver 702), a user interface (UI) 704, apower supply 714, a location receiver 716, a motion sensor 718, anorientation sensor 720, and a controller 706 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 702 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, Wi-Fi, DECT,or cellular communication technologies, just to mention a few(Bluetooth® and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth®Special Interest Group and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellulartechnologies can include, for example, CDMA-1×, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS,TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generationwireless communication technologies as they arise. The transceiver 702can also be adapted to support circuit-switched wireline accesstechnologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wireline accesstechnologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 704 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 708 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device700. The keypad 708 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 700 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 708 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 704 can further include a display710 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 700. In anembodiment where the display 710 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 708 can be presented by way of the display 710 withnavigation features.

The display 710 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 700 can be adapted to present a user interface withgraphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a userwith a touch of a finger. The touch screen display 710 can be equippedwith capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology todetect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functionsof the user interface. The display 710 can be an integral part of thehousing assembly of the communication device 700 or an independentdevice communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface(such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 704 can also include an audio system 712 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high-volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 712 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 712 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI704 can further include an image sensor 713 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 714 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 700 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 716 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 700 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 718can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 700 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 720 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device700 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 700 can use the transceiver 702 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, or otherwireless access points by sensing techniques such as utilizing areceived signal strength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival(TOA) or time of flight (TOF) measurements. The controller 706 canutilize computing technologies such as a microprocessor, a digitalsignal processor (DSP), programmable gate arrays, application specificintegrated circuits, and/or a video processor with associated storagememory such as Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologiesfor executing computer instructions, controlling, and processing datasupplied by the aforementioned components of the communication device700.

Other components not shown in FIG. 7 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 700 can include a reset button (not shown). The reset button canbe used to reset the controller 706 of the communication device 700. Inyet another embodiment, the communication device 700 can also include afactory default setting button positioned, for example, below a smallhole in a housing assembly of the communication device 700 to force thecommunication device 700 to re-establish factory settings. In thisembodiment, a user can use a protruding object such as a pen or paperclip tip to reach into the hole and depress the default setting button.The communication device 700 can also include a slot for adding orremoving an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card. SIM cards can be used for identifying subscriber services,executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so forth.

The communication device 700 as described herein can operate with moreor less of the circuit components shown in FIG. 7. These variantembodiments can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

The communication device 700 can be adapted to perform the functions ofcommunication devices 116 of FIG. 1, the media processor 406, the mediadevices 408, or the portable communication devices 416 of FIG. 4, aswell as the IMS CDs 501-502 and PSTN CDs 503-505 of FIG. 5. It will beappreciated that the communication device 700 can also represent otherdevices that can operate in system 100 of FIG. 1, communication systems400-500 of FIGS. 4-5 such as a gaming console and a media player. Inaddition, the controller 706 can be adapted in various embodiments toperform the functions 462-466 and 572-574, respectively.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope of theclaims described below. For example, although the media proxy 130 isillustrated as being implemented within the service provider networkinfrastructure 120, components of the media proxy, or the entire mediaproxy itself may be implemented in the communication devices 116, oreven in servers located in the Internet 140.

For example, in another embodiment, the proposed framework can be usedas an Internet data service that serves other OTT video serviceproviders, such as Netflix and YouTube. The data service can help thevideo service providers reduce their bandwidth/CDN cost, which isconsidered a large fraction of cost of running OTT video services. Thismutual benefit provides incentives for both ISPs that are running mobilenetworks and OTT video providers to collaborate. In addition, theframework can be easily extended to OTT applications in future 5Gnetworks.

In yet another embodiment, the ML algorithm can detect whether the useris likely to skip an advertising video after a prescribed period oftime. When skipping such ads are likely, the system can save bandwidthby reducing buffer size to eliminate sending video data that would notbe needed. Such probability can be discerned based on historicalinformation gathered from previous viewers of particular ads, as well asthe propensity of an individual user to skip ads in general. Otherembodiments can be used in the subject disclosure.

Devices described in the exemplary embodiments can be in communicationwith each other via various wireless and/or wired methodologies. Themethodologies can be links that are described as coupled, connected andso forth, which can include unidirectional and/or bidirectionalcommunication over wireless paths and/or wired paths that utilize one ormore of various protocols or methodologies, where the coupling and/orconnection can be direct (e.g., no intervening processing device) and/orindirect (e.g., an intermediary processing device such as a router).

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 800 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods described above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the media proxy 430, the media processor 406,the media proxy 130 and other devices of FIGS. 1-7. In some embodiments,the machine may be connected (e.g., using a network 826) to othermachines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in thecapacity of a server or a client user machine in a server-client usernetwork environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 800 may include a processor (or controller) 802(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a graphics processing unit(GPU, or both), a main memory 804 and a static memory 806, whichcommunicate with each other via a bus 808. The computer system 800 mayfurther include a display unit 810 (e.g., a liquid crystal display(LCD), a flat panel, or a solid-state display). The computer system 800may include an input device 812 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 814 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 816, a signal generationdevice 818 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 820. In distributed environments, the embodiments described inthe subject disclosure can be adapted to utilize multiple display units810 controlled by two or more computer systems 800. In thisconfiguration, presentations described by the subject disclosure may inpart be shown in a first of the display units 810, while the remainingportion is presented in a second of the display units 810.

The disk drive unit 816 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 822 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 824) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 824 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 804, the static memory 806, and/or within theprocessor 802 during execution thereof by the computer system 800. Themain memory 804 and the processor 802 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Application specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic array can use downloadable instructions for executingstate machines and/or circuit configurations to implement embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronicand computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two ormore specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with relatedcontrol and data signals communicated between and through the modules,or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, theexample system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable gate array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) including, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. Distributedprocessing environments can include multiple processors in a singlemachine, single processors in multiple machines, and/or multipleprocessors in multiple machines. It is further noted that a computingdevice such as a processor, a controller, a state machine or othersuitable device for executing instructions to perform operations ormethods may perform such operations directly or indirectly by way of oneor more intermediate devices directed by the computing device.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 822 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure. The term “non-transitory” as in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage includes without limitation memories, drives,devices and anything tangible but not a signal per se.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to standards andprotocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, and HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth,® Wi-Fi, ZigBee®),and long-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) can be usedby computer system 800. In one or more embodiments, informationregarding use of services can be generated including services beingaccessed, media consumption history, user preferences, and so forth.This information can be obtained by various methods including userinput, detecting types of communications (e.g., video content vs. audiocontent), analysis of content streams, and so forth. The generating,obtaining and/or monitoring of this information can be responsive to anauthorization provided by the user. In one or more embodiments, ananalysis of data can be subject to authorization from user(s) associatedwith the data, such as an opt-in, an opt-out, acknowledgementrequirements, notifications, selective authorization based on types ofdata, and so forth.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Theexemplary embodiments can include combinations of features and/or stepsfrom multiple embodiments. Other embodiments may be utilized and derivedtherefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figuresare also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certainproportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves thesame or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments describedor shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intendedto cover all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure.For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can becombined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. Inone or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can alsobe negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or withoutreplacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The stepsor functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subjectdisclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functionsdescribed with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure canbe performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions ofthe subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from othersteps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further,more than or less than all the features described with respect to anembodiment can also be utilized.

Less than all the steps or functions described with respect to theexemplary processes or methods can also be performed in one or more ofthe exemplary embodiments. Further, the use of numerical terms todescribe a device, component, step or function, such as first, second,third, and so forth, is not intended to describe an order or functionunless expressly stated so. The use of the terms first, second, thirdand so forth, is generally to distinguish between devices, components,steps or functions unless expressly stated otherwise. Additionally, oneor more devices or components described with respect to the exemplaryembodiments can facilitate one or more functions, where the facilitating(e.g., facilitating access or facilitating establishing a connection)can include less than every step needed to perform the function or caninclude all of the steps needed to perform the function.

In one or more embodiments, a processor (which can include a controlleror circuit) has been described that performs various functions. Theprocessor can be multiple processors, which can include distributedprocessors or parallel processors in a single machine or multiplemachines. The processor can be used in supporting a virtual processingenvironment. The virtual processing environment may support one or morevirtual machines representing computers, servers, or other computingdevices. In such virtual machines, components such as microprocessorsand storage devices may be virtualized or logically represented. Theprocessor can include a state machine, application specific integratedcircuit, and/or programmable gate array including a Field PGA. In one ormore embodiments, when a processor executes instructions to perform“operations,” this can include the processor performing the operationsdirectly and/or facilitating, directing, or cooperating with anotherdevice or component to perform the operations.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, variousfeatures are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodimentsrequire more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in lessthan all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the followingclaims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with eachclaim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a processing systemincluding a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance ofoperations, the operations comprising: applying a fast Fourier transformto a set of traffic counters extracted from a video streamed by a userto create a traffic feature vector, wherein the set of traffic countersincludes a total watching time; predicting a size of a video buffer touse in a communication device based on the traffic feature vector; andproviding instructions to the communication device to update the videobuffer based on the predicted size.
 2. The device of claim 1, whereinthe set of traffic counters includes a video content type.
 3. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the predicting of the size of the video buffer isbased on a machine learning algorithm applied to the traffic featurevector.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the machine learning algorithmis trained on a plurality of vectors.
 5. The device of claim 4, whereina reward function trains the machine learning algorithm.
 6. The deviceof claim 5, wherein the machine learning algorithm determines buffersize based on whether the video streaming is predicted to have a stableviewing state.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations furthercomprise adjusting the size of the video buffer.
 8. The device of claim1, wherein the set of traffic counters includes a total content time. 9.The device of claim 1, wherein the set of traffic counters includes aduration of pause time.
 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the set oftraffic counters includes an amount of forwarding time.
 11. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the set of traffic counters includes an amount ofrewind time.
 12. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor comprisesa plurality of processors operating in a distributed processingenvironment.
 13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprisingexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processing systemincluding a processor, facilitate performance of operations, theoperations comprising: applying a fast Fourier transform to a set oftraffic counters extracted from a video streamed by a user to create atraffic feature vector, wherein the set of traffic counters includes anamount of forwarding time; creating a prediction model to use in a videobuffer for a communication device based on the traffic feature vector;and predicting a size of the video buffer in the communication devicebased on the prediction model.
 14. The non-transitory machine-readablemedium of claim 13, wherein the set of traffic counters includes anamount of rewind time.
 15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium ofclaim 13, wherein the prediction model is created by training on aplurality of traffic feature vectors.
 16. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the predicting of the sizeof the video buffer is based on applying the prediction model to acurrent traffic feature vector.
 17. The non-transitory machine-readablemedium of claim 13, wherein the processor comprises a plurality ofprocessors operating in a distributed processing environment.
 18. Amethod, comprising: creating, by a processing system comprising aprocessor, a prediction model from a plurality of traffic featurevectors, wherein the plurality of traffic feature vectors is mapped froma plurality of traffic counters derived from simulated networkconditions; and applying, by the processing system, the prediction modelto a current traffic feature vector to determine a predicted videobuffer size for a communication device.
 19. The method of claim 18,further comprising: determining whether the predicted video buffer sizeis less than a predetermined video buffer size; and updating a videobuffer size to the predicted video buffer size responsive to thepredicted video buffer size being less than the predetermined videobuffer size.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: filling avideo buffer with video data to the video buffer size to support videostreaming.